Disability is the consequence of an impairment that may be physical, cognitive, mental,

sensory, emotional, developmental, or some combination of these. A disability may be

present from birth, or occur during a person's lifetime.

Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation

restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation
is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a
participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life
situations. Thus, disability is a complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between
features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives.[1]

An individual may also qualify as disabled if they have had an impairment in the past or is
seen as disabled based on a personal or group standard or norm. Such impairments may
include physical, sensory, and cognitive or developmental disabilities. Mental disorders (also
known as psychiatric or psychosocial disability) and various types of chronic disease may
also qualify as disabilities.

The term "disability" broadly describes an impairment in a person's ability to function, caused
by changes in various subsystems of the body, or to mental health. The degree of disability
may range from mild to moderate, severe, or profound.[6] A person may also have multiple
disabilities.

Conditions causing disability are classified by the medical community as:[7]

 inherited (genetically transmitted);

 congenital, meaning caused by a mother's infection or other disease during pregnancy,
embryonic or fetal developmental irregularities, or by injury during or soon after
birth;
 acquired, such as conditions caused by illness or injury;
 of unknown origin.

Types of disability may also be categorized in the following way:

Physical disability

Main article: Physical disability

Any impairment which limits the physical function of limbs, fine bones, or gross motor
ability is a physical impairment, not necessarily a physical disability. The social model of
disability defines physical disability as manifest when an impairment meets a non-universal
design or program, e.g. a person who cannot climb stairs may have a physical impairment of
the knees when putting stress on them from an elevated position such as with climbing or
descending stairs. If an elevator were provided, or a building had services on the first floor,
this impairment would not become a disability. Other physical disabilities include
impairments which limit other activities of daily living, such as severe sleep disorders.

Sensory disability

Further information: Sensory processing disorder

Sensory disability is impairment of one of the senses. The term is used primarily to refer to
vision and hearing impairment, but other senses can be impaired.

Vision impairment

Main article: Vision impairment

Vision impairment (or "visual impairment") is vision loss of a person to such a degree as to
qualify as an additional support need through a significant limitation of visual capability
resulting from either disease, trauma, or congenital or degenerative conditions that cannot be
corrected by conventional means, such as refractive correction, medication, or surgery.[8][9][10]
This functional loss of vision is typically defined to manifest with

1. best corrected visual acuity of less than 20/60, or significant central field defect,
2. significant peripheral field defect including homonymous or heteronymous bilateral
visual, field defect or generalized contraction or constriction of field, or
3. reduced peak contrast sensitivity with either of the above conditions.[8][11]

Hearing impairment

Main article: Hearing impairment

Hearing impairment or hard of hearing or deafness refers to conditions in which individuals

are fully or partially unable to detect or perceive at least some frequencies of sound which
can typically be heard by most people. Mild hearing loss may sometimes not be considered a
disability.

Olfactory and gustatory impairment

Impairment of the sense of smell and taste are commonly associated with aging but can also
occur in younger people due to a wide variety of causes.

Further information: Olfaction § Disorders of olfaction

There are various olfactory disorders:

 Anosmia – inability to smell

 Dysosmia – things do not smell as they "should"
 Hyperosmia – an abnormally acute sense of smell
 Hyposmia – decreased ability to smell
 Olfactory Reference Syndrome – psychological disorder which causes patients to
imagine they have strong body odor
 Parosmia – things smell worse than they should
 Phantosmia – "hallucinated smell", often unpleasant in nature

Further information: Taste § Disorders of taste

Complete loss of the sense of taste is known as ageusia, while dysgeusia is persistent
abnormal sense of taste,
Somatosensory impairment

Main article: Somatosensory disorder

Insensitivity to stimuli such as touch, heat, cold, and pain are often an adjunct to a more
general physical impairment involving neural pathways and is very commonly associated
with paralysis (in which the motor neural circuits are also affected).

Balance disorder

Main article: Balance disorder

A balance disorder is a disturbance that causes an individual to feel unsteady, for example
when standing or walking. It may be accompanied by symptoms of being giddy, woozy, or
have a sensation of movement, spinning, or floating. Balance is the result of several body
systems working together. The eyes (visual system), ears (vestibular system) and the body's
sense of where it is in space (proprioception) need to be intact. The brain, which compiles
this information, needs to be functioning effectively.

Intellectual disability

Main article: Intellectual disability

Intellectual disability is a broad concept that ranges from mental retardation to cognitive
deficits too mild or too specific (as in specific learning disability) to qualify as mental
retardation. Intellectual disabilities may appear at any age. Mental retardation is a subtype of
intellectual disability, and the term intellectual disability is now preferred by many advocates
in most English-speaking countries.

Mental health and emotional disabilities

Main article: Mental disorder

A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally

associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and perceived by
the majority of society as being outside of normal development or cultural expectations. The
recognition and understanding of mental health conditions has changed over time and across
cultures, and there are still variations in the definition, assessment, and classification of
mental disorders, although standard guideline criteria are widely accepted.

Pervasive developmental disorders

Main article: Pervasive developmental disorders

The diagnostic category of pervasive developmental disorders refers to a group of five

developmental disabilities characterized by differences in the development of multiple basic
functions including socialization and communication. The DSM-IV-TR listed the pervasive
developmental disorders as autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood
disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-
NOS).[12][13][14] The DSM-5 does not describe individual diagnosis of any of the pervasive
developmental disorders, replacing all of them with a unified diagnosis of autism spectrum
disorder.[15] The ICD-10 also includes the diagnosis of overactive disorder associated with
mental retardation and stereotyped movements.[16]

Developmental disability

Main article: Developmental disability

Developmental disability is any disability that results in problems with growth and
development. Although the term is often used as a synonym or euphemism for intellectual
disability, the term also encompasses many congenital medical conditions that have no
mental or intellectual components, for example spina bifida.

Nonvisible disabilities

Main article: Invisible disability

Several chronic disorders, such as diabetes, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, epilepsy,
narcolepsy, fibromyalgia, and some sleep disorders may be counted as nonvisible disabilities,
as opposed to disabilities which are clearly visible, such as those requiring the use of a
wheelchair.

Sociology of disability
Main article: Disability studies

Discrimination, government policies, and support

On December 13, 2006, the United Nations formally agreed on the Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities, the first human rights treaty of the 21st century, to protect and
enhance the rights and opportunities of the world's estimated 650 million disabled people. As
of April 2011, 99 of the 147 signatories had ratified the Convention.[60] Countries that sign the
convention are required to adopt national laws, and remove old ones, so that persons with
disabilities will, for example, have equal rights to education, employment, and cultural life; to
the right to own and inherit property; to not be discriminated against in marriage, etc.; to not
be unwilling subjects in medical experiments.

In 1976, the United Nations launched its International Year for Disabled Persons (1981), later
renamed the International Year of Disabled Persons. The UN Decade of Disabled Persons
(1983–1993) featured a World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons. In 1979,
Frank Bowe was the only person with a disability representing any country in the planning of
IYDP-1981. Today, many countries have named representatives who are themselves
individuals with disabilities. The decade was closed in an address before the General
Assembly by Robert Davila. Both Bowe and Davila are deaf. In 1984, UNESCO accepted
sign language for use in education of deaf children and youth.
Demographics
Estimates worldwide

Estimates of worldwide and country-wide numbers of individuals with disabilities are

problematic. The varying approaches taken to defining disability notwithstanding,
demographers agree that the world population of individuals with disabilities is very large.
For example, in 2012, the World Health Organization estimated a world population of 6.5
billion people. Of those, nearly 650 million people, or 10%, were estimated to be moderately
or severely disabled.[61]

In the United States, Americans with disabilities constitutes the largest and most inclusive
minority. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010, there were some 56.7 million
disabled people, or 19% (by comparison, African Americans are the largest racial minority in
the U.S., but only constitute 12.6% of the U.S. population).[62]

There is widespread agreement among experts[who?] in the field that disability is more common
in developing than in developed nations. The connection between disability and poverty is
thought to be part of a "vicious cycle" in which these constructs are mutually reinforcing.[63]

Nearly 8 million European men were permanently disabled in World War I.[64] About 150,000
Vietnam veterans came home wounded, and at least 21,000 were permanently disabled.[65] As
of 2008, there were 2.9 million disabled veterans in the United States, an increase of 25
percent over 2001.[66]

After years of war in Afghanistan, there are more than 1 million disabled people.[67]
Afghanistan has one of the highest incidences of people with disabilities in the world.[68] An
estimated 80,000 Afghans are missing limbs, usually from landmine explosions.[69]

In Australia, 18.5% of the population reported having a disability in a 2009 survey.[70]

Acting Appropriately

Ask before helping out. One of the first responses of many people when they see or meet a
disabled person is to try and give them help. While this gesture may seem kind, you could
actually be irritating them or getting in their way. Ask if they need you to perform a certain
task.

o "Would you like me to push your wheelchair?"

o "Do you need help walking?"
o "Would you like me to guide you?" (to a blind person)
o "Should I move this chair out of your way?"
Avoid petting or playing with a service dog. It’s tough to just pass by when an adorable
service dog goes wandering your way. No matter how tempting it might be though, you
should never run up and play with or pet a service dog without asking.

o Service dogs perform important jobs, which you distract them from if you run
up and start rubbing them between the ears. If you see a service dog, always
ask permission from their owner before assuming you can pet them.
o If they agree to letting you pet them, try not to take up too much time doing
so. If the owner declines your request, don’t take it personally - their dog is an
important tool to them, which they may be needing at that time.
o Don’t give a treat to a service dog unless the owner approves it.
o Don’t let your own dog play with a service dog if you walk past one outside.

Speaking Appropriately

Always speak directly to the person, not to their assistant or translator. The same
way that you don’t want someone talking to you through your parents or friends, it is
annoying for a person with a disability to be spoken to through their assistant.

o If you’re asking a question or having a conversation with a person who has a

disability, always speak directly to them. This might seem particularly tricky
in the case of someone who has a translator, but keep your gaze and words
directed at the person.

Allow the person you’re speaking with to set the pace of your conversation. If they have
a cognitive disability or speech impediment, they may speak differently.

o It's important that you let them set the pace of the conversation. Trying to
speak too quickly or finishing their sentences for them can be very frustrating.
Even if it means you have to wait several minutes to listen to what they have
to say, it is much more appropriate not to rush.
o They’ll appreciate your listening skills and the time you take to hear them out.

Don’t talk down to them. It’s a common cliche for people to speak to a person with a
disability like they’re a child or like they don’t understand you. Most disabilities don’t alter
someone’s ability to understand a conversation, but they may slow their speech or response
time.

Use non-offensive terms and avoid derogatory statements/names. Some names and
phrases have been so overused in our culture that they no longer seem offensive to say.
However, this does not mean that the disabled person won't take them personally—after all,
it's comparing something bad to people like them. Whether you're speaking to a disabled
person or not, avoid using these names and descriptors:

o Handicapped
o Crippled
o Retarded
o Crazy
o Insane
 o Deformed
o Dumb
o Mute
o Midget
o Moron

Don't be patronizing. Some disability-related "tips" are actually annoying to disabled

people. Here are some things that annoy them:

o Do not bend down to talk to someone in a wheelchair. This can be considered

patronizing, because usually only children are treated this way.
o Don't automatically start describing everything to a blind person or start trying
to finger-spell your sentences to a Deaf person. You may not actually be
helping. Ask first.
o Don't try to perform therapy on an autistic or mentally ill person. They get
enough of that already, and your knowledge of therapy techniques may be
lacking.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Making assumptions is a great way to get yourself
into trouble; often times, assumptions are wrong and can lead to stereotypes and
offensive comments.

o Many disabled people would rather you ask about their condition or the way
they want to be treated, rather than just assuming you know.
o Keep in mind though, that your questions should remain appropriate and
judgmental, rather than nosey and intrusive. If they don’t want to answer your
questions, don’t take it offensively.
o Disability can be personal, and they may not want to talk about it with a
stranger.

2. A physical disability is a limitation on a person's physical functioning, mobility,

dexterity or stamina.[1] Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit
other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders, blindness, epilepsy[2] and
sleep disorders.

3. Causes
4. Prenatal disabilities are acquired before birth. These may be due to diseases or
substances that the mother has been exposed to during pregnancy, embryonic or fetal
developmental accidents or genetic disorders.

5. Perinatal disabilities are acquired between some weeks before to up to four weeks
after birth in humans.[3] These can be due to prolonged lack of oxygen or obstruction
of the respiratory tract, damage to the brain during birth (due to the accidental misuse
of forceps, for example) or the baby being born prematurely. These may also be
caused due to genetic disorders or accidents.[citation needed]

6. Post-natal disabilities are gained after birth. They can be due to accidents, infection or
other illnesses. These may also be caused due to genetic disorders.[citation needed]
 7. Physical impairment can also be attributed to disorders causing, among others, sleep
deficiency, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and seizures.

 सरकारको तीन वर्षे योजना २०६७/६८ – ०६९/७० मा अपाङ्गताको सवालमा समेटीएका नीति तथा
कार्यक्रमहरु

 नेपाल सरकारको चालु तिन बर्सिय आवधिक योजनामा पहिलो पल्ट अपांगताको बारे मा छुट्टै
नीति तथा कार्यक्रम बनाएको छ बिस्तत
ृ जानकारीका लागि प ्'ग:थापना र बिकासका लागि
स्रोत केन्द्र, भक्तपरु मा पनि सम्पर्क गर्न सकिने छ.

 Adithya Education Academy

 A community-based development agency, Adithya Education Academy is located in

India and works with children with special needs, empowers women, trains &
supports other local NGOs. Their aims include educating individuals to make them
better equipped to utilize the opportunities of economic development, to promote
social values and natural resources, and to address the needs of women, children, old-
aged, people with disabilities, HIV/AIDS infected, and other vulnerable groups in the
community.

 Akshaya Rehabilitation Trust

 Committed to the care of the helpless, forsaken, mentally ill, old, sick, roadside
destitute living and dying on the streets of Madurai by providing healthy food, love,
and opportunity to rehabilitate, thereby restoring human dignity.

 Blind People's Association (India)

 Works to promote comprehensive rehabilitation of persons with all categories of

disabilities through education, training, employ-ment, community based
rehabilitation, integrated education, research, publications, human resource
development and other innovative means.

 Brief Introduction of Nepal Disabled Women Association

 Nepal Disabled Women Association(NDWA) is one of the leading DPO working

particularly for the rights of Women with Disabilities in Nepal. This sites gives
information about the vision, mission, goal, objectives, organizational structure and
some of the activities conducted by NDWA

 Centre for Community Development (CCD)

 CCD is a non-profit voluntary organization working in the Gajapati District of Odisha

State, India, to bring qualitative change to the lives of the tribals, disadvantaged and
vulnerable sections of the communities. Works in the areas of sustainable livelihood,
women empowerment, child rights, good governance, community based rehabilitation
for people with disabilities, and rehabilitation of people with HIV and AIDS.
 Deaf Organizations and Schools - India

 This page lists deaf organizations and cross-disability organizations in India with their
contact information.